Hair treating device



Dec. 17,1968 v|. L. HANTMAN 3,416,543

HAIR TREATING DEVICE Filed April 5. 1966 4 l2 IO I I8 f. F

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United States Patent 3,416,543 HAIR TREATING DEVICE Lionel L. Hantman, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Gillette Company, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 5, 1966, Ser. No. 540,228 3 Claims. (Cl. 132125) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An applicator for applying viscous material to the hair has the form of a comb with spaced parallel fins extending from the spine, each fin merging with a tooth of the comb, the spaces between fins serving as a reservoir for the material.

This invention relates to an applicator for applying viscous material to the hair and pertains more specifically to a device for applying to the hair materials which do not readily flow but which are sufficiently soft and plastic so that they can be spread or smoothed onto the hair when sufficient pressure is applied.

Some of the materials applied to the hair for dressing, stiffening, or otherwise treating it are so viscous or gellike in nature that they do not flow appreciably of their own accord under the influence of gravity alone and that they cannot be pumped or sprayed by conventional lightweight inexpensive hand-operated equipment. The usual method for applying such material has been to smooth it on the hair with the hands, then work it into the hair with the fingers so as to distribute it throughout the mass of hair and bring it into contact with the individual hair fibers where it becomes efiective. This operation, of course, in addition to being considered unpleasant by many people, requires the extra step of washing the hands after it is completed.

One object of the present invention is to provide a device for applying such poorly-flowing materials to the hair and for distributing it throughout the mass of the hair.

Another object is to provide a device having a reservoir for containing a supply of such poorly-flowing material together with means for working the material into the hair.

Still another object is to provide an applicator having a reservoir for poorly-flowing material which can readily be filled simply by dipping the applicator into a mass of the material.

A further object is to provide a device of the type described in the form of a comb having an open reservoir mounted on the back of its spine to receive at One side material displaced from between the teeth during use and to permit it to be fed to the other side of the teeth.

Other and further objects will be apparent from the drawing and from the description which follows.

In the drawing,

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in side-elevation;

FIG. 3 is a view in section taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a view in section taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

As appears from the drawing, the embodiment illustrated is in the form of a comb having an elongated spine 10. Mounted transversely on the spine and extending radially outwardly therefrom are fins 12, 12, each of which is in the form of a disc which is disposed generally parallel to and spaced from the adjacent discs. Comb teeth 14, 14 extend from the lower margin of each disc, forming a continuation of their corresponding fins 12. Each fin 12 merges with corresponding tooth 14, both of 'ice them lying in a single plane, so that the space between adjacent fins 12, 12 is in direct and continuous communication with the space between adjacent teeth. Each tooth preferably is triangular in shape as seen from the end of the comb, its two edges 16, 16 being slightly concave and forming a smooth curved interconnection with the periphery of the corresponding fin 12. A handle 18 of any desired size and shape extends from one end of spine 10, and, in the embodiment shown, is in the form of a rat tail having a flattened thumb and finger rest 20 on opposite sides thereof adjacent the comb.

The spaces between adjacent fins 12 serve as reservoirs for containing the thickened material to be applied to the hair. In using the device it is simply dipped into the mass of viscous or gel-like material and moved about sufliciently to ensure that the spaces or reservoirs become at least partially filled with the material. It will be found that the spaces between adjacent teeth 14 will also become filled with the material at least in the wider portion of the teeth adjacent the fin. The applicator is then employed in the fashion of a hair comb, causing the material held between the teeth and between the lower portions of the fins 12 to be wiped off onto the hair. A few strokes of the comb are suflicient to distribute this material through the mass of a hair tress. When all of this material has been suitably distributed, the device may be rotated about its spine as an axis to permit additional material :held in the reservoir spaces between the upper portions of adjacent fins 12 likewise to be wiped off on the hair, whereupon it can be distributed through the mass of the hair tress by the above-described combing technique.

The spaces or reservoirs between adjacent fins 12 also serve the function of catching any excess material which might be removed from the hair tress during the first few strokes following initial application of the material to the hair. This material can then be reapplied to the hair by rotating the device about its spine as described above. The reservoir space between the adjacent fins minimizes the tendency of the material to fall from the device during the combing operation, as happens in the case of a conventional comb, thus avoiding both loss of material and soiling of clothing.

The fact that the spine 10 has an oval cross-sectional configuration with its major axis aligned with the teeth, as appears best in FIG. 3, is advantageous in that it combines high strength of the spine with large capacity of the reservoir and facilitates passage of the poorly-flowing material to and from the reservoir. It is desirable that the cross-sectional shape of the spine be a smooth curve, free from sharp corners or re-entrant angles which might tend to trap the material being applied. While the device may be made of a variety of materials, synthetic plastic or rubber is preferred.

Finger rest 20 is important in facilitating use of the device since it enables the user to rotate the device about its spine even when the hands are wet or slippery.

Best results have been obtained with devices having from five to twelve fins and teeth per inch, the space between adjacent fins and teeth varying from A to 4; inch. While the fins do not need to be precisely circular in shape, it is preferred that they have a smoothly curved peripheral edge and that their overall diameter be from /3 to 1 /2 times the length of the corresponding tooth measured from its intersection with the fin to its free end. It is also preferred that the fins extend a substantial distance outwardly from the spine, the diameter of the fins preferably being at least 1.25 times the maximum crossseotional dimension of the spine. The foregoing dimensional characteristics together with the fact that the opposing faces of the fins and teeth are generally flat and smooth provide a device of optimum effectiveness.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein, it is not intended to limit the invention solely thereto but to include all of the variations and modifications which suggest themselves to a person skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. An applicator for applying viscous material to the hair which comprises a comb having an elongated spine, and means for holding a supply of said material comprising an array of fins extending radially from said spine, each fin extending outwardly completely about said spine and lying in the plane of the single tooth of the comb and merging with its corresponding tooth, the space between adjacent fins forming a reservoir extending completely about said spine and communicating with the space between adjacent teeth to supply material thereto.

2. An applicator as claimed in claim 1 in which each fin is generally in the form of a disc and each tooth extends from the margin of its corresponding fin parallel to the adjacent teeth.

3. An applicator as claimed in claim 2 in which the spine has a cross-sectional configuration in the form of an oval having its major axis aligned with the teeth of the comb.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1911 Higgins 132125 12/1941 Tupper 132125 U.S. Cl. X.R. 13211 

